A lifelong promose
by FoxwolfJackson
Summary: NarutoDragonBall Z crossover. This story is basically an adapt of DragonBall with a few changes to it. In the Naruto universe, this picks up right before the filler episodes start. I have not read the manga, so everything here is my own idea.
1. Prologue: A past to change the future

Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z, Naruto, or any other thing in this story, except most of the plot, and any original characters that might pop in.

Author's notes: Well, this is the first fanfic I've started in a long time. Sorry for not writing much, but I really have no interest in continuing the other stories… I'm sorry, but I just don't have the motivation to work on them anymore. That's also the reason why I haven't worked on my novels in nearly two years. I'm really sorry, but I don't do this professionally, and I have to take this where my inspiration and motivation takes me. I'm really sorry if there were any fans of any of my stories at all.

As mentioned, this story is a Naruto/DragonBall Z crossover, though I plan on bringing in elements of other stuff, as well as occasional appearances from some OC's (namely the characters from the two separate novels that I haven't worked on in forever). In the Naruto storyline, this takes place right as soon as the fillers start; in the DBZ universe, this actually takes place during DragonBall… at the first world martial arts tournament.

Without further ado, I present to you the story.**  
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"Hold it off! We need to hold it off until the Fourth arrives!"

A crowd was in dire panic at the arrival of the nine-tailed demon, Kyuubi. The fox was terrorizing the inhabitants of the hidden ninja village in Konoha. The ninja of the village did all they could to try to stall the fox long enough for their leader to join the fight. It seemed to be a hopeless fight, as it seemed the fox only stopped so that it could play with its prey a little more. Many of the ninja fought with bravery and great effort, although to the fox, it seemed as if it were a mere fly buzzing around his head.

Kunai and shuriken bounced harmlessly from the demon; techniques were swatted away as easily as one might swat away a fly. Shouts could be heard both from those calling orders and from those who have been injured. The fox seemed to be impervious to anything thrown at it; his power and immunity gave a sense of terrible grace and skill on the battlefield.

Down on the ground, the captain of the forces looked to his right hand man. The stress and hopelessness seemed apparent in his eyes, though his voice tried to show some confidence and hope. He observed the surroundings and slowly inquired, "How much longer until the Fourth arrives?"

The man before him stated, "In a minute, if all goes well."

The captain said, "Well, pray that all goes well… I don't think we can even last a minute in this condition. Gather everyone here in this area for one last stand. We'll buy as much time as we can. Dismissed"

The man before him saluted, and disappeared in a puff of smoke to execute the practical suicide order he had been given. The captain sunk into his chair, looking even more stressed than he had a second ago. He had led the battle, and already he was worn out. The battle would not last much longer. The captain heard a thunderous crash outside, the volume of which was enough to rival the loudest of thunderstorms.

Knowing that it was now or never, the captain walked outside his tent. His remaining troops standing in front of him to give one last stand in hopes to stall for enough time. Holding out his hand, he said, "Men, this is our last stand. What we do here may decide the fate of our homes and families."

In one final roar of desperation, the remaining ninja jumped forward in an all-out frontal assault in a battle to the death, winner take all and the loser forfeiting their very own life.**  
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A glass shattered in the hands of fate, as an evil force destroyed another planet. It was a force so powerful that no living being dared to oppose it unless they wanted to meet with a certain, painful death. It was a force with an army to appease its every want and desire. However, this certain planet was different from the other planets that were destroyed. 

This planet, which was called Vegeta, was the home planet to a proud warrior race called the Saiyans. They were the elite soldiers of this powerful tyrant, made to do every whim, fancy, and desire of the tyrant. Yet, it was a certain legend of this planet that the tyrant feared. It was a legend that was passed around for many generations; it was this very legend that the tyrant feared. The legend stated that every few years a special Saiyan would be born. This Saiyan was to be stronger than any other Saiyan that would ever be born. Thus, that is how the term "Super Saiyan" came to be commonly used. This Super Saiyan was what the tyrant feared the most. Yet, its curiosity and interest in this legend kept him from destroying these people.

However, one day, one of the Saiyans became suspicious of the tyrant's actions lately. He was Bardock, a second-class soldier in the tyrant's army. The tyrant's loyal followers on a mission betrayed Bardock and handed him to the enemy in an attempt to silence him. He was captured by the enemy and was brutally tortured. Somehow, he managed to escape and returned home in very bad condition. A short amount of time passed before he was healed; as soon as that happened, he tried to start a rebellion against this powerful creature. No one listened to him and, against his partner's as well as his better judgment, he flew upward to fight this tyrant. This brave action stirred many others on the planet, who had almost instantly started to prepare for an imminent rebellion. However, the tyrant, who was tired of this race, decided to finally eliminate them. With one energy ball, he murdered the confronting Saiyan and the entire race, as well as blowing up the planet.

According to the computer systems, four Saiyans had survived the explosion. They were Raditz, Nappa, Saquera, and Vegeta. Raditz, who was six, was not around when the explosion occurred. He was on a mission to conquer another planet with the help of his older brother Nappa, who was eight. Saquera, a ten-year-old Saiyan, was in her room, partially sleeping, although she was still alert. She was the bodyguard of Vegeta, who was prince of all Saiyans. Vegeta was a stubborn ten year-old prince. His father, the king, was also on the ship, but as soon as he met the tyrant, the king attacked it in revenge for destroying his planet and his loyal citizens. The tyrant quickly countered and killed the king before he even managed to launch an attack.

However, the computer databanks were not as up to date as they were supposed to be. Another Saiyan was born, who was sent to a planet for a conquering mission. His name was Kakkarot, and he was the child of Bardock and the younger brother of Raditz and Nappa.

A few days later Raditz and Nappa were on their way back to their home planet, having completed their mission. They did not know anything about their home being blown up. On the way back, though, space pirates ambushed them. Raditz managed to get away with only damage to his communications system. However, Nappa was not as lucky. His ship was shot, and it crashed into a nearby planet. Nappa's communication systems, however, were still intact, and he managed to send a help signal to Frieza's ship. A few days after he sent the signal, he was rescued.

It was a short amount of time before Raditz managed to make it back to his home planet only to make a startling discovery. His home planet was no longer there to arrive at. Raditz double-checked his computer systems to make sure that they were correct as to where he was. However, his computer's scanners said he had just landed in his hometown. Raditz wondered about what could have happened there, when he remembered his father talking about how Frieza was trying to destroy their home. Angered by this development, he ran a scan to see if any ships had left the planet since then. He traced the signature of Frieza's ship and knew he did not want to go that direction. On the other hand, he traced a faint signature of a spaceship, which just left and was heading for a planet in another quadrant of the universe. He had just set course for the planet, when his ship's main thrusters fluttered out. Uttering a few swear words, he knew it would take about ten years to reach the planet at this speed. Angered by this new development, he set his course, activated the sleeping gas, and started his very long journey to the planet Earth.

A few days passed from the incident with Raditz, when Kakkarot finally arrived on the planet he was supposed to conquer. It was a peaceful planet with relatively weak inhabitants. From dinosaurs to humans, and from fish to turtles, this planet had a very diverse group of living beings. Although he was just a baby, his power rivaled those of any warrior of the planet. A martial arts master found him by the name of Gohan. It was from this day, that Kakkarot began his life on the very planet he was sent to destroy. He was a newborn baby, with a built-in instinct to kill any living being if he should ever get the chance**  
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A sudden explosion transpired on the battlefield, as smoke billowed out between the attacking ninja and the demon itself. A giant frog stood in the middle of the battleground, a solitary blonde man standing on the frog's head.

The captain looked up and shouted, "The fourth is here, everyone! Stand your positions and be there to assist him if required of you."

The blonde man looked down and said, "Fall back. This ensuing battle might prove too dangerous for all of you to be around."

On that note, the captain made a hand gesture in the air to the troops, and all of them retreated to what they believed was a safe distance away.

The battle between the frog and the demon started almost as soon as the troops retreated for safety. Bursts of power that rivaled anything known in history were like nothing to these creatures. Deafening crashes threatened to turn anyone deaf who dared to wander too close.

The battle raged on for a while, neither side seemingly willing to give in. The blonde man on top of the frog, noticing that his side was beginning to wear down from the battle, realized that continuing the battle in this condition would only lead to defeat. Making a few hand signs, he performed a ritual that summoned a death god to the field, to imprison and trap the creature he was battling.

Through this technique, the blonde man sealed the creature's soul in a newborn child. However, the process of sealing the creature cost him his life. As the technique completed, the man keeled over backward as the frog he was standing on poofed out of existence in a whirl of smoke. As he fell, he hit the ground with a crash… in the final battlefield of the greatest warrior that these ninja had ever known.


	2. Chapter 1: A New Mission

Author's Note: Oops, I almost forgot to write a disclaimer last chapter! At least I do not think I did. I'm too scatterbrained to think right now, which is the perfect condition for me to write. Anyway, I do not own Naruto or Dragon Ball Z. They belong to their creators. However, any and all original characters are mine.

Remember kiddies! The only difference between lawyers and thieves is that lawyers do not get in trouble for what they do.

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Chapter 1

A new mission.

Naruto was basking in the morning sunlight, after the hospital released him in perfect condition. Absentmindedly walking around, he ended up in front of the Ichiraku Ramen stand. Smiling a bit to himself for unconsciously following his old morning routine without realizing it, he patted his pocket to be sure gama-chan had enough money to pay for a light breakfast.

Walking into the stand, he smiled and said, "Old man! One bowl of miso ramen, please!"

Naruto sat at the stool, just looking around. The village was still the same as it was two weeks ago before Sasuke left the village. Many of the resident ninja were out on missions, leaving only a spare few ninja in the village. Naruto smiled to himself. Despite being a noisy ninja, Naruto did enjoy the occasional peace and quiet.

As he stared into blank space, he heard a small voice in the distance seemingly talking to him. It was a peculiar and distorted, yet familiar voice. Naruto pondered for a second. Whose voice could this be that was calling to him? Finally, giving himself a great heave, he pulled himself back into reality. Staring him in the face was the Ichiraku's daughter, Ayame.

Naruto involuntarily jumped backward as soon as noticed that she was leaning toward him, trying to snap him back from his absentminded daydream. As he jumped back, he tripped on the stool he was on and fell on his butt. She giggled as she watched him get off the ground, rubbing his butt. Naruto said, "Hey, hey! What was that for?"

She simply replied in as straight of a face as she could muster, "Father and I had been trying for the past few minutes to get you back into reality."

Naruto grumbled for a second, wondering why would they be doing that to him. Two seconds later, his grumbling changed to a cry of joy as he saw the ramen bowl sitting on the counter in front of his seat, waiting for him to explore and enjoy its wholesome ramen goodness.

Fifteen minutes and ten ramen bowls later, a figure walked into Ichiraku Ramen, right behind where Naruto was sitting. The figure chuckled for a second before stating in a formal voice, "Uzumaki Naruto, the Fifth Hokage requests your presence at the office."

Naruto was in the middle of eating his ramen when the voice spoke, starting him greatly. Much to the great confusion and slight disgust of those around him, Naruto performed a miracle and passed a noodle of ramen straight through his nose in his surprise. Unknown to him about the noodle hanging out of his nose, Naruto turned around and said with a mouth half full, "What?!"

Wrinkling his nose in slight disgust, Ebisu repeats to Naruto, "The Fifth Hokage wants you at her office. You are to be assigned a mission today."

With his mood performing a quick 180, Naruto said, "Yes sir! As soon as possible."

With a little disgust, Ebisu said, "And get that noodle out of your nose."

With a gasp of surprise, Naruto grabbed at the noodle dangling from his nose and pulled it out, after some difficulty. Tossing it into a nearby trashcan, he returned to the stand and finished the ramen faster than Jiraiya could think "Boobies!"

Paying for the ramen, and adding a generous tip as usual, Naruto ran straight to the Hokage's office. Opening the door, he saw in the room Hinata Hyuuga, Haku, and Rock Lee standing before him. Also in the office was Iruka Umino, Naruto's good friend and former teacher. Tsunade said, "Well, now that Naruto is here, we can finally commence with the mission summary."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said, "Sorry for being late."

Tsunade disreguarded Naruto's excuse and stated, "There is a group of merchants who wish to have a group of ninja hired to be their bodyguards during their shipment. You four are the four most suited ninja for this mission. This is the reason why I picked each you."

Naruto replied, "What level is this mission?"

Tsunade replied, "Right now, it is registered as a C-Level mission."

Naruto groaned, "Aww, why can't we do more exciting missions?"

Tsunade replied in a harsh tone, "Feel grateful you even get to have a mission."

Naruto bit his tongue, not wanting to mess up his chance at the first mission he had. Ever since he had been badly injured trying to retrieve Sasuke, Naruto was keen on becoming stronger, so the next time, he would not fail in the retrieval. Naruto constantly struggled with himself internally, believing he was only badly injured because Sasuke decided to be a bastard and fight Naruto. Neither of them could help it though. They were rivals, with conflicting goals. That fight just was unavoidable. Naruto solemnly nodded and said, "When do we leave?"

Tsunade said, "Meet at the front gate in an hour."

Hinata said, "Umm… is… is there anything else or anyone else we should bring?"

Naruto looked at Hinata, and for the first time, he saw something in her that he had not seen before. Now that she was not blushing all the time and constantly looking away from him for whatever reason, Naruto noticed something unique about her. How she was so shy and timid at times, but could stand for herself when she had to. Naruto felt himself starting to turn a bit red, and quickly diverted his attention elsewhere.

Tsunade replied, "No, it will be just the four of you. Bring your standard ninja gear, and anything else you might need to complete a mission. If there aren't any other questions, then all of you are dismissed!"

All four ninja nodded in unison and left the room in a slight hurry to pack for the mission. After he finished packing, Naruto was traveling about the town, when he ran into Haku. He smiled at the fellow ninja and said, "Hiya!"

The other ninja, shopping for groceries to take with him on the trip, looked at Naruto and replied, "Hello there, Naruto."

Naruto said, "How are you holding up so far?"

Haku said, "I'm doing very well, thank you for asking."

Naruto said, "So, how does it feel to be one of us! You're a Konoha ninja now!"

Haku replied, "Yes, so it is."

Naruto said to Haku, "I'm glad you became one of us. There are times I think of that battle on the bridge and how you could have died."

Haku nodded and said, "I guess you could say I was blessed. It just was not my time to die."

Naruto nodded in understanding and spaced out, thinking about how the battle on the bridge.

_-Flashback-_

Haku and Zabuza were on the bridge that was being constructed in the wave country with a mission to kill the bridge builder. Naruto and Sasuke were battling Haku, while Kakashi was battling Zabuza. It was a long battle, neither side willing to give in. It was then that Naruto released the demon's power within him, and defeated Haku.

After a small battle between the two, Naruto sent a punch to Haku's gut that winded him and knocked him unconscious. Meanwhile Kakashi, on the other side of the bridge, dealt a powerful blow to Zabuza with his Chidori. Zabuza, in a last minute move of desperation, was able to avoid some of the damage of the fatal attack. However, the result of the attack rendered his left arm useless.

It was at this moment that Zabuza's employer came around and revealed that he was going to have Zabuza and Haku killed anyway. He simply used them as pawns in his plan. Speaking to Kakashi, Zabuza said that he no longer had a fight with Kakashi. Despite being badly injured, Zabuza charged head-on into the mob that his employer had before him. Killing some and maiming others, using only his one good arm, he managed to viciously slay the short, deceiving man who had used him and tossed him away.

However, these actions had aggravated the wound that Kakashi gave him, causing him to slowly bleed to death. It was at this moment that Haku regained consciousness. In a last-minute talk with Haku, Zabuza admitted to Haku that he always saw the boy as more than a tool and expressed his hopes that Haku could live a better life than he did.

_-End Flashback-_

Naruto returned to the world and nodded to Haku again. He said, "Well, good luck on the mission!"

Haku replied, "The same to you, Naruto."

After about forty-five minutes and a "quick" stop to the ramen stand had passed, Naruto stood at the front gate of the town, getting ready to go on the mission. It took him three minutes to pack, two minutes to talk to Haku, and forty minutes to finish his ramen meal for the time. It turned out to be a bad mistake to arrive early. After what seemed like forever to Naruto, he sat down and gave a sigh of exasperation. A small and timid voice spoke out quietly. "Naruto?" it said timidly.

Naruto looked at the direction of the voice to see Hinata standing there by a tree near the gate. He quickly stood up and said, "Hinata! Uhh, how long have you been here?"

She replied, "The same time as you. About a minute ago."

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but the only words that came out were, "It's only been a minute?"

Hinata smiled a bit and said, "Yes…"

Naruto fumed for a short time, upset that he ever came early. Sighing, he said, "So, why are you here early?"

She replied in a small voice, "I had nothing else to do…"

Naruto smiled and said, "You should speak up! I can't hear that nice voice of yours."

Immediately, Naruto internally slapped himself. "_Why the hell did I say that?" _Naruto thought over and over.

Hinata blushed and said, "Nice?"

Naruto paused for a second. Hinata was slowly starting to turn red again. For a quick second, he started to wonder why Hinata was turning red. Arriving to a conclusion, Naruto asked Hinata, "Are you hot?"

Hinata replied, "What?"

Naruto said, "If you're hot, you should take some clothes off."

Hinata blushed a deeper shade of red before stuttering in a shocked response, "… w-w-wh--… what?"

Naruto grinned naively and said, "Well if you're hot, you should take some clothes off! Your jacket looks like it's a jacket better suited for colder weather. Your face is turning redder than a tomato in a bowl of ramen!"

Hinata gave a puzzled look for a second before a look of realization dawned on her face. She smiled back at Naruto and took her jacket off. She said, "Better?"

Naruto thought to himself, "_Wow, she's cuter than I realized_."

Hinata looked at Naruto and said, "Umm… maybe you should take your jacket off too? You're turning… red… as well."

Naruto blushed even harder for a second before rubbing his head. He said, "Nah, I'm fine!"

Hinata slowly walked over to Naruto, reaching for his jacket. She said in a caring voice, "You really shouldn't be so carefree. It's not good for you."

Naruto stepped back one step, blushing harder, and said, "No, really. I'm fine."

Hinata replied defiantly, "No, you're not. You're turning redder and redder. You're going to get a fever if you get any hotter."

Hinata finally managed to grab hold of a jacket when a loud voice near Hinata and Naruto exclaimed loudly, "YES! TODAY IS A MISSION!"

Hinata jumped forward in shock of the voice, jumping right onto Naruto, clinging for her very life. Naruto stopped moving in shock as he suddenly got a face full of Hinata. A few moments passed where no one moved. Suddenly, Naruto started to twitch, unable to breathe from part of Hinata clinging to his face.

A shrill squeal ensued from Hinata as she realized what happened and to whom she was clinging for her life. Instinctively, she threw Naruto to the ground in a defensive reflex. Lee stared at Naruto, whose face was a weird combination of red and blue. Hinata gasped for a second as she realized what she had done. Running forward to check on him, she accidentally tripped on a stone, landing right on top of him.

Another voice slowly said to Lee, "Do I even want to know what is going on, or is the truth too much to take?"

Lee turned around and said, "No, Iruka-sensei. Everything is okay. Hinata attacked Naruto; then ran toward him and body slammed him. I think those two have a rivalry going on."

Suddenly, Lee regained his hyperactive self and shouted, "RIVALRY! NEJI, I WILL BEAT YOU!"

Iruka covered his ear that was closest to Lee and said, "Lee, calm down!"

Naruto, still fainted from Hinata throwing him on the ground, was unable to move the stunned girl lying on top of him. Iruka sighed and walked over, picking her off Naruto and said, "Well, this is an unfortunate series of events. Yeah, just a weird way of starting the mission, perhaps."

Lee took Hinata, and walked toward a nearby stream. He took a handful of water and shouted, "WATER REVIVAL!"

Lee dropped the water on her face, hoping that it would revive her. Hinata coughed for a second before asking in surprise, "Where are we?"

Lee simply replied, "The front gate!"

Iruka brought Naruto to where Hinata and Lee were. Iruka splashed water on Naruto's face in the same fashion Lee did to Hinata, without the shouting. However, Iruka was not as lucky, as Naruto remained fainted. Lee shouted, "WE SHALL GIVE HIM MORE WATER!"

Before Iruka could say or do anything, Lee picked up Naruto's body and shoved his head into the water. Iruka sweatdropped as he said, "Lee, I think you're going to drown the—"

Before he could complete the sentence, Naruto's body started to twitch violently, struggling against Lee's hand that was forcing his head into the water. Lee finally let go of Naruto's head and stepped back. Naruto stared at Lee dumbfounded before shouting, "WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

Lee replied, "No! I was trying to revive you!"

Naruto crossed his arms and gave a disbelieving face. He said, "By sticking my head into the water?"

Lee saluted and replied, "Yes sir! That's what Gai-sensei did to me!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Gai-sensei appeared and hugged Lee, shouting, "LEE!"

Lee replied just as energetically, "GAI-SENSEI!"

Iruka, Naruto, and Hinata simultaneously sweatdropped at what was occurring before them. Haku arrived at the scene, just as the two finished hugging. Acting as if he did not see anything, Haku said, "I assume everyone is here early to prepare for the mission at hand."

Iruka nodded to Haku, cleared his throat, and said, "Well, if everyone is ready, we can begin our mission a bit early."

Lee saluted and said, "Yes!"

Gai said, "Lee! Do your best!"

Lee replied vehemently, "I will!"

Five minutes and a set of "Gai!"/"Lee!" exclamations later, the four headed out of the village. Iruka said, "Okay, the mission stated that we will be meeting the merchants in a nearby town."

The other four nodded at this set of instructions. After a quick check of equipment, the four headed toward the town at a brisk pace. Along the way, Naruto and Iruka were engaged in a discussion about what happened at the front gate between Hinata and Naruto. Iruka, after a few minutes, laughed at what really happened. He smiled at Naruto and said, "Things happen."

Naruto decided not to answer that remark, not truly understanding the nature behind that comment. As they arrived at the town about an hour later, Iruka said, "Okay, we are to meet them at the market."

Naruto replied, "The market? Okay. What do they look like?"

Iruka said, "They'll be in a group, all wearing green shirts."

Hinata said, "I see them."

Iruka smiled to himself. He knew Hinata would have taken a chance to try to show off to Naruto. It seemed to be common knowledge to everyone (except Naruto himself) that she really liked Naruto. Iruka asked Hinata, "Where?"

Hinata replied slowly, "Right behind us. About ten yards."

Iruka said, "Okay, I'm going to turn around. I'm going to pretend to look around for a while; then I'm going to look at them and pretend I just found them. Then you can turn around and we can start this mission."

The other three nodded. Iruka slowly turned around, pretending to look for them. A few seconds later, he spotted them right where Hinata told him they were. He motioned to the other three ninja to follow him. Walking up to them, he said, "You're the merchants we are to escort, right?"

A man with graying hair says in reply, "Yes sir. We are."

Iruka said, "May we know your names?"

The man who replied said, "My name is Nobuo. My two comrades are Akira and Masashi."

Iruka looked at the other two men. Akira was a blonde haired man, whose hair was set in soft spikes. He had green eyes that seemed to burn with a fire of passion and love for his job. Iruka made a mental note that Akira was very dependable, and very loyal.

Masashi was a raven-haired man. His dark eyes crackled with the electricity of a person who was determined to finish whatever he started to accomplish. Iruka made a mental note that Masashi was a person who would be willing to do anything if he was told to do so.

Iruka, after his quick examination, nodded and said, "Very well. Our mission is to escort you to a market town across the sea, am I correct?"

Nobuo bowed to Iruka and replied, "Yes. The port town is a two-day journey west of here. The voyage across the sea takes another day. After then, we will unload our goods, and that is all the help we need. We greatly appreciate the help you are giving us."

Iruka bowed back and said, "I, and my comrades, are honored to be in your service."

Nobuo said, "We do not set off until tomorrow morning. So, feel free to spend your time as you wish. Your rooms at the local inn have already been reserved. We are indebted to your services, as thieves often try to rob us of our precious goods."

Iruka replied in acknowledgement, "I understand. Many thieves try to loot goods from unsuspecting merchants and travelers. We shall protect you to the best of our ability and lives."

Iruka turned to the team and said, "The rest of the day is yours. Be at the hotel in four hours. That is the time we are to report to retire and rest for tomorrow's journey."

Lee exclaimed in reply, "YES SIR! I SHALL NOT BE LATE OR I SHALL DO FIVE-HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE WHEN WE GET HOME!"

Before anyone could even reply or sweatdrop, Lee disappeared. Iruka turned to Naruto and Hinata and said, "You two can go too. Just don't go too far from the town."

Haku stated in his usual voice, "I shall be in my room. I will be preparing for tomorrow's mission. If any of you wish to accompany the planning, feel free to join."

With that note, the four remaining ninja of the group took Lee's example, though not as energetically, and spread through town, doing what they wanted to do.


	3. Chapter 2: A turn for the better

Author's Note: Sorry for being so late. School musical really tied me up. Well, I have been listening to Requiem for a Dream too much. It probably shows in some parts of the story that is written. Well, anyway, without further ado, here is the next chapter.

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Chapter 2

A turn for the better

Naruto traveled around the town, unable to find anything to do. There seemed to be nothing for the hyperactive ninja to do. Naruto groaned loudly as he wandered the streets. He did not care for stores or anything like that. After a few minutes of wandering the streets, Naruto finally hit paydirt. Naruto basked in the glory before him. It was a ramen stand, similar to how Ichiraku's looked. Naruto patted his wallet to see if he should go or not, and felt a pleasantly large bulge in his pocket, urging him to go. Making his choice rather quickly, Naruto walked as fast as he could toward the stand.

It only took a few seconds for Naruto to place an order. It seemed that the stand did not have any customers aside from Naruto. Looking at the menu, he decided to get his usual ramen order. A person walked into the stand while Naruto was waiting for his order. Naruto looked over at the person, turning a bit red as he recognized whom it was.

Hinata turned toward Naruto, quickly realizing who was there in the stand with her. Faintly blushing, Hinata said, "I guess… it's not that big of a surprise to see you here…"

Naruto sheepishly grinned and said, "I guess not."

Naruto smiled as the man gave him his bowl of ramen. Hinata smiled at Naruto and turned away, ordering a bowl for herself.

While Naruto started eating his ramen with his trademark speed, someone came in the stand behind him. He smiled, put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and said, "Hey Naruto! What's up?"

As with the incident earlier at the Ichiraku Ramen stand, Naruto's ramen was forced places it was not meant to go, while his body involuntarily jumped in surprise. This time, his noodles went town his windpipe, the tips of the noodles tickling his lungs. Naruto started to cough, trying to remove the noodles from his lungs. Hinata, realizing what happened through her Byakugan, started to panic. She said to Naruto in a panicked voice, "Naruto! I'll help!"

Taking her hand, she shoved it into his chest, using a little bit of chakra to try to help force the noodles out. The result sent Naruto flying backward about twenty or so feet, crashing into the stand across the road, which was cooking and selling fried fish. Commotion ensued as a couple gallons of hot oil spread flew into the air, landing on Naruto.

Jiraiya sweatdropped as he realized what he had indirectly caused. Naruto started screaming in pain at the hot oil that had coated him in a fine layer. Out of nowhere, Haku appeared, did a few hand signs and called out, "Water Style: Hydro Cannon!"

A blast of water flew from Haku, smashing into Naruto and throwing him backward into Hinata, who was running toward him to try to help. The two rolled around on the ground for a second or two, before the two landed flat on the ground, Naruto lying on top of a dazed Hinata. The two were stunned for a second as they realized their lips were touching. A voice rang out, "Naruto! Long time no see! I see you've become quite the man."

As both of them blushed furiously red, they jumped up and looked at the person who spoke. It took them a few moments of stunned silence, but Naruto finally said, "It's nothing like that, Perverted Hermit!"

Jiraiya gave Naruto a lecherous grin and said in a mocking and sarcastic tone, "I'm sure it wasn't…"

Naruto protested against Jiraya's teasing. He retorted in an annoyed tone, "I'm serious! Really! I am!"

Jiraiya peered over the notebook he had taken out, writing in it. He looked up and said to Naruto, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, I believe you."

Naruto frowned at Jiraiya and said, "Prove it!"

Jiraiya replied, "How?"

Naruto thought for a second and said, "Fine, I believe you."

Jiraiya finally said, "So, what are you up to on this mission?"

Naruto smiled and said, "I'm here to protect merchants as they deliver goods to their destination."

Jiraiya said, "Sounds fun. I guess Hinata is on the mission as well?"  
Hinata squeaked as Jiraiya had mentioned her name. In a very small, soft voice, she replied, "Yes sir, I am."

Jiraiya looked at her for a second before looking at Naruto and winking at him. Naruto gave a confused look at Jiraiya and shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious that Jiraiya was probably thinking of something perverted. Naruto said, "So, why are you here?"

Jiraiya simply replied, "Data gathering."

Naruto crossed his arms, gave a disbelieving face, and said, "Data gathering my ass! We're three blocks away from one of those girl places you always go to, and two blocks away from a bar!"

Jiraiya closed his eyes and said, "Merely coincidental."

Haku stepped between Naruto and Jiraiya in a flash and said aloud, "I'm sorry to interrupt your discussion, but Naruto has been injured from the hot oil. I shall take him to his hotel room to give him medical treatment."

Jiraiya looked at Haku peculiarly for a second. He seemed to be hovering in a moment of indecision. Haku looked icily at Jiraiya before picking up Naruto and running away toward the hotel. Jiraiya continued watching Haku, until he turned a corner. As soon as he lost sight of Haku, he quickly whipped out his notebook and began to write furiously in it.

Hinata stood there in the middle of the street, all alone, staring into space in shock, and unable to move. She was snapped out of her reverie when the people at the ramen stand called to her. It took a minute for them to get her attention, but finally she was snapped out. She sat down at the stand and began to eat the ramen.

A peculiar sensation washed over her as she started to eat that ramen. It was a sense of sadness, energy, happiness, and determination rolled into one. As she continued to eat, that sensation started to grow within her. It grew into a fiery thunderstorm that refused to be quelled easily. A relentless determination washed over her. There was just something about that ramen that seemed to give her the strength and guts to be able to do what she wanted… and she knew exactly what she wanted. She finished that bowl of ramen, full of determination and ready to take on what she wanted. She put her money on the counter and went straight toward the inn that Naruto was currently being treated.

She walked through the front doors, went up the stairs, and opened the door. She opened her mouth and said, "Naruto, I—" and was promptly held speechless. Sitting before her was a shirtless Naruto, who was having ointment applied on his burns by the nurses from the local hospital. Hinata let out a small squeak of surprise and fainted. One of the three nurses walked over to Hinata and set her carefully on the bed.

A couple minutes later, the nurses finished with Naruto. They left him a bottle of the ointment and left the room. Naruto sighed and looked over at the still unconscious Hinata. He smiled a bit to himself as he saw the soft glow of the lamp in the room make her face glow with a rosy complexion. A few strands of her hair gently fell over her eyes, giving her an even cuter look for Naruto.

Naruto sat like this for a few minutes, enjoying Hinata's look, when she stirred. Naruto quickly turned away from her and started to stare at the ceiling. Slowly, Hinata opened her eyes and looked around the room. The only thing she saw was Naruto staring at the ceiling with a slight tinge of red in his cheeks. Any remaining determination she had from earlier was quickly washed away as she saw how Naruto looked in the soft glow of the lamp in the room.

Speaking very softly, Hinata said, "N-Naruto? Can I ask you a question?"

Apparently, something in Naruto must have snapped, because suddenly he said aloud to her, "Yes Hinata! I want to go on a date!"

There was a moment of shocked silence between the two as they stared into each other's eyes. A curious feeling started to wash over the both of them as they realized what he just said. Suddenly, the door burst open, and a blur of green whirled into the room. A loud voice shouted, "NARUTO IS HURT!"

Naruto winced at the loud noise for a second and said, "Lee! Please. I'm okay. You can leave now!"

Lee said, "BUT MY YOUTHFUL SPIRIT WANTS TO WATCH OVER YOU!"

Naruto said in reply, "It's not youthful to just sit and watch someone! Go… go train or something. That's more youthful!"

Lee replied, "YES! I SHALL DO 500 LAPS AROUND THE TOWN BEFORE DAWN!" and quickly ran out of the room.

Naruto sighed and said, "Umm, Hinata… would you like to—"

Suddenly a voice from the doorway said, "Naruto. I came to check up on your injuries."

Naruto turned to the doorway to see Haku standing there. Naruto gritted his teeth for a second and said, "My injuries are healing quite fine. Thank you for asking."

The strain of annoyance must have been apparent in his voice, because Haku nodded and said, "Sorry if I disturbed anything" and walked out of the room.

Naruto sighed and looked at Hinata. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. Hinata looked at Naruto and said, "If you were going to ask me if I would go—"

"Naruto, are you okay?" a voice asked from the doorway. Iruka stood there with a concerned look on his face. Naruto and Hinata both said with a twinge of annoyance, "It's fine!"

Iruka, quickly sensing the rising annoyance and tension in their voices, quickly bowed and said, "Sorry…" before walking out of the doorway.

Naruto sighed and turned to Hinata. She blushed and started to poke her fingers before speaking up again. She said, "N-Naruto… I just wanted to know… for a while I've been wondering… I just cannot seem to figure it out… I really want to say… I don't know how to put it…"

Naruto asked, "Is there someone you like?"

Hinata nodded and said, "Yes… would you… would you… would you… like… would you like… to… uh… go on… on… on… a date?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow and said, "With whom?"

Hinata nearly fainted from the question, in both nerves and shock. She replied in a very small voice, "With me?"

Naruto cupped his ear and said, "I couldn't catch that. With whom?"

Hinata suddenly looked up at Naruto and said in a loud voice, "With me!"

Naruto gave a shocked look in his eyes and smiled on the inside. She was asking him out. The girl he just started to like and had so much in common with. She was asking him out. How could he refuse? Naruto felt a bit sad that he did not ask her out earlier. He knew in his heart what to say… to accept and to apologize for not asking her out sooner. He said, "Hinata… I'm sorry that—"

An explosion occurred outside, drowning out any other words Naruto was about to say. Hinata's face fell as she heard words that sounded like a rejection. Her eyes started to water as she said, "Oh, I'm so sorry for bothering you. I really am. I had better go help out! Bye!" and ran out of the doorway.

Before Naruto could do or say anything, Hinata was already out of the inn, and running down the streets toward the explosion. A commotion ensued as she ran toward it. It turns out some of the fireworks for a show that was to happen later went off a bit early. Seeing no cause for panic, Hinata walked aimlessly through town. Naruto was going to turn her down. She kicked a stone on the ground in sadness. She knew she should have seen this coming. Naruto was just too good for her, and it was foolish of her to ask him something like that.

She thought about the beginning of the conversation when he said he wanted to go on a date. She started to get even sadder as she realized that he must have just been teasing her. As she walked aimlessly around the town, her eyes began to water as torrents of memories of the past with Naruto flooded into her mind. Now that he knew she liked him, she could not bear to be around him. She feared it would affect their friendship or cause a tension between them that she could not bear to be around.

She started walking toward the edge of town and climbed up a small hill. A small cliff overlooked a nearby fairground. She sat here for a while, just watching the people walk by with their dates… their dates… their dates. Hinata could not take it anymore. She burst into tears of sadness that rolled down her face. This rejection was just a pain in her heart that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She sat there crying for at least ten minutes when a small voice reached her ears.

At first, she did not hear it, but then the voice repeated itself. "Hinata?" the voice said softly. Hinata finally heard it and looked up to see Naruto standing there. He had a concerned look on his face that seemed so uncharacteristic of his usual hyperactive and happy self. Unable to speak, she turned away from him and watched the fairground.

Naruto sighed and said, "Hinata, please listen to me. What I was going to say earlier…"

Hinata turned to Naruto and said, "No, I don't want to hear it. I know what you were going to say! I don't need you to say it."

Naruto said defiantly, "Just listen! I'm sorry I didn't ask you out sooner. I'd love to go on a date with you!"

Hinata replied angrily, "I just said I didn't want to hear—"

A silence slowly reigned over Hinata as realization of what Naruto said clicked in her head. One could easily say they could see her face brighten up with an almost unnatural happiness. The tears of sadness eventually turned to tears of joy as Hinata jumped up and clung to Naruto, crying into his shoulder.

Naruto let out a small gasp of pain as she clasped onto him, screaming in pain on the inside as she clung tightly to his tender skin, but enjoying the moment of having her hug him at the same time. Hinata quickly realized what happened and let go of Naruto. Silence was between them as they sat on the cliff and watched the sun slowly set on the fairgrounds, where laughter and happiness reigned and rang out in the surrounding area.

They sat like this until the sun was almost gone and the dark sky was starting to show a few stars. Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and smiled warmly at each other. Music started to play from the stage as a concert began to start. Naruto and Hinata both smiled at each other as the first song slowly washed over them. They sat like this for an hour or so, enjoying the music performed at the concert.

Suddenly, an explosion occurred, startling both of them. A blaze of red light washed over the both of them as sparkles of red fizzled throughout the sky. Many more fireworks were fired in an awesome show of pyrotechnics. Hinata looked at Naruto, fully content and happy at how the day turned out. Naruto turned over to Hinata and smiled gently.

It was that moment… a simple moment… that a certain feeling spread between the two of them. It was not expected, nor was it planned. It just happened when they looked into each other's eyes. That look in each other's eyes was some kind of signal that told them that they were just right for each other. That signal was just something that connected the two together. In a moment, the two were interlocked by a kiss, their eyes closed. It was rather sloppy, as neither of them had any real experience, but it still had all the emotion and the love that any other real kiss could have.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, finally breaking off when the fireworks show had ended. They looked into each other's eyes, an unspoken understanding complete between them. Together, they got up and walked back toward the inn, to prepare for the mission's commencement on the next day. Hand in hand, they walked down the path, not knowing what the future may hold, but feeling deep in their hearts that they are there for each other no matter what.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, pshew… not my best of works. I have trouble with romance. I am trying to write a novel, so, I guess that is good practice. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Next chapter will not be so happy… that is all I shall say.


	4. Chapter 3: A Turn for the Worse

Author's note: I read all of the Naruto manga finally, as opposed to last chapter of this story where I only watched the anime. I'm having trouble reading webcomics again, because now that I went on a manga reading spree, I'm reading right to left, lol. I must say, I really like how it is going and I may add a few ideas from there into my plot. It is interesting how both the author and I had the same idea as to Orochimaru's fate and who was responsible. I bet many other people probably had the same idea in mind.

Also, I apologize immensely for the huge delay. I had no idea college would be as busy as it is. I'm taking 19 credits, in my first semester ever going. I didn't think it would have been THAT much of a load (and it's completely free anyway... thanks to a scholarship), but now I think it was a bit of a mistake. Senior year was really hard on me as well with personal issues concerning myself with a few other students... that ended up with me graduating on a sour note with a lot of my friends.

However, now I'm back. I will strive to do my best to update on a regular basis. Please bear with these things. I'm trying my best.

* * *

Chapter 3 

A Turn for the Worse

Naruto woke up the next morning with a happy feeling within him. That night was so great. He had a girlfriend, whom he really loved and cared for. He went on his first real date with a girl who liked him. Everything seemed perfect to him; for once, he didn't want to do the mission. He stretched and yawned in the bed and looked around the room. Nothing but him in the only bed in the room, stretched out with the blankets on the floor from his constant twisting and turning in his sleep.

He stood up and yawned again. It just did not seem like his mind was getting enough air to stay awake. He looked blearily around the room, his vision blurred by his watery eyes. He yawned again before looking around again. Satisfied with his examination of the room, he walked to his backpack and pulled out a cup of instant ramen. He sighed as he thought about how this was nowhere near as good as anything that Ichiraku's could make.

Yawning, and still quite groggy from going to sleep late last night, Naruto took the boiling water off the stove and attempted to put it in his soup. It took a couple of seconds before it registered in his mind that the hand holding the instant ramen cup was in some severe pain. It took a couple more seconds to realize that he was pouring boiling water on his hand. Shouting in pain, Naruto dropped the kettle of hot water onto his foot, water splashing everywhere.

The door burst open and Haku stood in the doorway. He ran over to Naruto, did a few quick hand seals, and encased Naruto's hand in a block of ice. He shook his head and said in a reprimanding tone, "Will you ever stop being such a maladroit person?"

Naruto gave a sheepish grin and replied, "Maybe, if I knew what that word meant."

As he said that, Iruka ran into the room, hearing Naruto's scream. Hinata, out of nowhere, was by Naruto's side, looking him over. The growing blush on his cheeks amplified the embarrassment that Naruto's sheepish grin exuded. He tried to rub the back of his head, but could not due to his hands being encased in a block of ice. He looked around at everyone and said, "Um, um… everything's okay."

Haku replied to Naruto, "Not everything's okay. You poured half of this kettle's hot water onto your hands. Give the ice a few minutes to heal your hands."

Iruka put his hand on his face and sighed in a rather amused manner. He said, "Well, we shall depart from this hotel as soon as Naruto's injury heals. The merchants are almost ready to leave."

Naruto raised his right arm to salute Iruka when he smacked himself on the forehead with the block of ice. He fell down to the floor, a bit dazed. Iruka shook his head and walked out of the room. Naruto sighed and said, "Let's go."

As Naruto walked out of the hotel, Naruto asked Haku, "Hey, hey… Haku!"

Haku slowly turned to Naruto and merely replied, "Yes?"

Naruto said, "Hey, um… is this a block of normal ice?"

Haku said, "Why do you ask?"

Naruto said, "Because it's cold as hell, and doesn't seem to be thawing soon."

Haku replied, "Yes, it is. You can test it for yourself."

Naruto opened his mouth to ask how, when a light bulb went off in his head. A look of discovery crossed his face. Haku could only sweatdrop as he contemplated how dangerous Naruto's idea might be. Naruto held the ice block close to his face and did something that few people in their right minds would do. He stuck out his tongue and licked the ice.

Haku replied, "That ice is not wet enough, you know."

Naruto tried to turn to turn his head to retort to Haku but found his tongue glued to the ice. Haku merely scurried out of the door before Naruto could say something. Naruto tried to shout for help, but couldn't due to half of his tongue and part of his lips stuck on the ice.

An hour later, Naruto, Iruka, Haku, Hinata, Lee, and the merchants were on the road, traveling to a nearby port town for the goods to be shipped. Naruto looked around at the trees nearby, walking down the road and holding hands with Hinata. Iruka gently smiled inside, as he realized just how much Naruto had grown over the past few months.

The day went without much incident. The only real annoyance was Naruto complaining that he was hungry… all the time. Eventually, night fell upon the group, and a small fire was started to cook the food.

It took a grand total of three minutes and seventeen seconds for Naruto to finish his meal. The merchants could only watch in amazement as Naruto bolted down his food in his uncharacteristic speed.

As everyone finished their meals, Naruto and Hinata walked a short distance away from the encampment, on the top of a small hill. They lay out on the grass, watching the stars together. Naruto smiled at Hinata and said, "So, Hinata… are you happy?"

Hinata smiled back at Naruto and said, "I'm as happy as I can be just to be with you, Naruto."

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, lost in a few thoughts. Hinata smiled and gently stroked his tangled and messy hair… a feat normally impossible without the Jyuuken technique. She looked at the stars, admiring the beauty of the sky and smiled to herself. It was like a dream come true… for Naruto to be in her arms, sitting there as a couple, on a romantic scene such as this.

After a few minutes, Naruto opened his eyes and slid his arm around Hinata. He said to her, "I don't know what changed my mind… seeing you in that office for the mission… changed my perception of you. All of a sudden, I felt normal… average… and that you wouldn't notice me the way I started noticing you."

Hinata smiled back at Naruto and said, "I always feared that you never really figured out that I liked you the whole time, or worse… you figured it out but didn't want to have anything to do with me in that way."

Naruto frowned for a second and said, "Why?"

Hinata replied, "Because I felt normal. I felt that I had nothing that could please you. I always felt that you deserved so much better than me. It made me so sad to think of you with any girl that was better than me."

Naruto replied with a smile, "If I was to go out with someone better than you, I'd be single for the rest of my life."

Hinata blushed and replied, "Naruto…"

Naruto put his finger to her lips and gently silenced her. He softly said, "Look at the sky, and the stars. When I was younger, I used to believe that someday, I could go into the stars… and escape the torment that the villagers constantly gave me. I wanted to go into the sky, and find people who would accept me… someone who would acknowledge my existence."

Hinata smiled back at Naruto and said, "Would you consider me one of those sky creatures?"

Naruto smiled gently at Hinata and softly, yet meaningfully said, "Yes, I do… after all, you are my angel."

Hinata blushed even further and leaned toward him. Both of them closed their eyes and locked themselves in a kiss. It was one that was less awkward than the one from the day before, yet still showed no lessening in intensity, passion, and meaning. As they broke apart, it was quite clear that only death would separate them.

* * *

The next morning the crew set out. It was their final day of traveling before they got to the port town and set out for sea. The day was as uneventful as the last, and Iruka became lost in his thoughts. Why would they be hired to protect merchants if they were not going to be attacked? Iruka was deep in his thoughts, pondering this. He suddenly came to a startling thought that perhaps they would be attacked at sea. 

It was at this moment that Naruto cried out, "Behind us!"

Iruka, jarred back into reality, noticed that two ninja were following them. Neither of them seemed to be wearing a forehead protector. One seemed to be younger, with his blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. The other's characteristics were a bit more defined, with his tanned skin and fiery red hair.

The whole team turned around and got into fighting stances, ready to engage the ninja. The two ninja pulled out their kunai and lunged forward, one at Iruka and one at Haku. Both counterattacked the ninja, only to find out they were merely replications. Looking around for a quick second, Iruka spotted the blonde ninja going after the merchants. He ran over and blocked the attack coming at the merchants with his large shuriken.

Haku looked around and found another of the ninja in the bushes, waiting to attack the merchants as well. Deciding not to give the ninja the chance, he ran into the bushes to engage the second ninja.

Naruto, busy with looking around for any others shouted out to Iruka, "To your left!"

Iruka looked to his left to see a replication of the ninja he was fighting coming toward him. Holding the shuriken he was using to block the ninja attacking him with one hand, he used his other hand to throw a kunai at the replication. It went through it and dispersed the technique. As he threw it, he heard a sound behind him. It seemed yet another replication was making his way toward Iruka with his sword drawn.

Naruto in a rush, managed to attack the replication that was ambushing Iruka from behind. As soon as Naruto's attack made contact, he burst into smoke. Naruto's forward momentum placed him at a perfect place behind the enemy. Naruto slashed at him with a Kunai just as he noticed where Naruto landed. He jumped into the air, although Naruto managed to get a somewhat moderate cut with the kunai. Blood spattered the ground as Naruto said, "That's the real one."

Meanwhile, in the bushes, Haku, Hinata, and Lee were engaging the other ninja. By the looks of it, it seemed that they were toying with the ninja. Haku's ice technique bound the ninja's feet to the ground, as Hinata and Lee assaulted the ninja with their two different combat techniques. Although the blonde ninja managed to get away, Haku's binding technique with Hinata and Lee's hand-to-hand attacks were taking their toll on the redheaded one.

Iruka walked over and said, "Enough, you three. I think he's learned his lesson."

The redheaded ninja said, "You'll never capture me alive!"

Iruka said, "What do you mean?"

The ninja replied, "It means… you die."

He smiled and with what seemed the remaining amount of his energy, he smacked his hip as hard as he could. Iruka's eyes widened as he said, "Move it!"

The four ninja moved away from the area as fast as they could as the redheaded ninja exploded with great force. Naruto quickly cut pursuit of the blonde ninja and turned around. He ran back toward the others as fast as possible. His eyes began to water up; whether it was from the dust flicking in his eye, or the thought of losing Hinata, he did not know. He arrived at the scene and spotted Iruka. He quickly called out, "Iruka-sensei! Are you alright?"

Iruka smiled a bit and said, "A few scratches, but we'll all live. Nothing serious happened with us, except for a slight scare. What happened to the other ninja?"

Naruto paused for a second and said, "He… got away. I was worried about all of you with that huge explosion."

Iruka sighed and said, "You worry too much sometimes, Naruto."

Naruto replied, "I do not! I was just worried a bit sometimes about you."

Iruka raised a brow playfully and said, "Just me?"

Naruto blushed and replied, "Hinata as well."

Iruka nodded and put on a thoughtful face. He said, "I see."

After damages were assessed, which were minimal, the group continued to the town to drop off the goods for the boat to load. About an hour later, Naruto was bouncing about the town, looking for the nearest Ramen stand, as the rest of the team were at the dock, volunteering to oversee the supplies loading onto the ship.

It was a regular port city, with the business focused mainly upon seafood and seaweed. As he wandered the city, Naruto ran into Hinata. They locked eyes with each other, both of them blushing as they saw each other.

Naruto put his head behind his head and said, "Hinata! What are you doing here?"

Hinata blushed and looked the other way before saying, "Well, I was looking for you. I found a ramen stand we cou—"

Before Hinata could finish her sentence, Naruto grabbed her sentence and blasted off in record speed for a few seconds. He stopped and sweatdropped before saying, "I… don't know where it is."

Hinata, still red, was still in slight shock at the fact Naruto grabbed her hand. He quickly let go and carefully asked, "Hinata? Are you okay?"

Quickly she snapped out of her reverie and said, "Oh, sorry. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Naruto gave his trademark fox grin at her before saying, "So, where to?"

Hinata pointed right behind Naruto and said, "Right there."

Naruto looked over and saw the ramen stand. Mentally smacking himself, he walked in with her. There was one other occupant, sitting in the corner. Naruto had a vision in the back of his head for some reason. That girl sitting in the corner… for some reason, he could've swore he had seen her before. As she turned around, Naruto had to gasp.

"Naruto Uzumaki! It's a surprise to see you out here... somewhat."


	5. Chapter 4: Loss

Author's Note: I have decided to change my major from Computer Programming to Music Composition. Everyone but my family completely and whole-heartedly supports my decision. Haha, maybe one day I'll be the next Nobuo Uematsu or John Williams. It's possible in a mind with as vivid of an imagination as I have. Anyway, hopefully with the change in majors, courses will be easier, since music comes to me a lot more naturally than computer progamming does. Without further ado, I bring you the next installment!

Chapter 4

Loss

Naruto jumped for a second and looked at the person in front of him. Her four pigtails held most of her blonde hair in place. Her green eyes smiled as widely as her mouth did. Naruto was not able to observe any more of her as she reached out and pulled him in a warm embrace. Naruto struggled for air as his face was shoved into a place slightly below her shoulder. Hinata coughed ever so slightly at the sudden motion. Wondering what he had done to deserve this, Naruto managed to free his face and ask, "Oi, Temari! What are you doing?"

Temari looked at Naruto and said, "So, I can't greet the person who had influenced my brother so strongly with a friendly hug?"

Hinata could only giggle slightly at the exchange between Naruto and Temari. It was a simple, casual hug between the two... and due to Naruto's lack of height, it was a mere coincidence where he ended up. She her face brightened up as she looked at Temari. With a smile on her face she and jokingly exclaimed, "Temari, don't cling to him too long or he will be stuck to you!"

Naruto turned his head, pouted at Hinata, and replied, "I'll only cling to you."

Shocked at what Naruto had said, Temari let him go. She looked at the both of them in turn with a surprised expression on her face. She slowly asked, "So, you two are… together?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before saying, "Is it really that hard to believe?"

Temari replied, "As hard to believe as saying that I was the sister to the Gaara of before."

Naruto thought about what she had said for a second. He thought about how she was before, and how she was the same as she is now, and that the only reason she acted the way she did was because they were on opposing sides. Following orders you didn't want to follow was a very painful business. Hinata looked at Temari before saying, "So, how is Gaara doing?"

Temari smiled at Hinata and said, "He's doing splendidly. He still cannot sleep but now he has greater control over the demon. He's been working hard to gain the trust and acceptance of the other villagers. It's a tough process, but he's slowly getting there. We all are trying our very best to help him out."

Naruto smiled at Temari and enthusiastically said, "He'll get there! I'm sure he will. He just needs a little time."

Hinata coughed slightly, interrupting Naruto's burst of confidence in Gaara. She said to Naruto, "I think you should order."

Naruto looked confused for a second before he saw the waitress of the stand patiently standing there. He sweatdropped for a second before he started apologizing profusely. As Naruto and the waitress negotiated Naruto's order, Hinata asked Temari, "How have you been doing lately?"

Temari said, "I'm fine. I've been around, trying to help Gaara and his quest to gain acceptance by the villagers. I think Gaara is getting tired of me helping out. One time, after fussing about his hair and wrestling with his sand shield to get a hairbrush through, he calmly stated that I needed a boyfriend to keep myself busy."

Hinata smiled at Temari and said, "Well, Temari, I'm sure with your looks, you'd find someone in no time."

Temari looked awkwardly downward and said, "That's not necessarily the point. I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship or anything like that. Besides, there aren't that many guys strong enough and cute enough to really catch my attention."

Hinata looked for a second at Temari and asked, "Is that the reason?"

Temari looked further down, though the parts of her face showing revealed that she was blushing from embarassment. She quietly said, "I've never done this before. I have no idea what to do. I mean, I'm good at ninja stuff, but this is totally new to me. Do you think you could help me?"

Hinata was about to reply when Temari's question hit her in full force. She closed her mouth, not knowing what to say. A perplexed look crossed her face before she blurted, "Um… well… this is my first, and we started yesterday."

Temari looked at Hinata and said, "You know, with your kind of looks, I would never have guessed that."

Hinata blushed and replied, "Well, I had myself set on Nar—"

"HINATA!" a loud shout eminated from the other side of the somewhat small ramen stand… that is to say, about five feet away.

Both Temari and Hinata jumped in shock, both of them so absorbed in their discussion that they completely forgot Naruto was there. Both of them were blushing heavily when Hinata replied, "Yes Naruto?"

Naruto replied, "Hey, hey! Guess what? The lady here decided that I should try their special. Although it's not a ramen, it's supposed to be a really good soup."

Hinata, trying her best to not blush so hard, managed to ask, "What is it?"

Naruto bit his tongue and said, "Boi… Boy… Bai… Bei… Umm……."

The waitress smiled before saying, "Bouiabaisse."

Naruto smiled and said, "Yes, that!"

Hinata smiled gently as Temari laughed slightly at the exchange between the two. Naruto looked curiously at the both of them and said, "It's a hot day, isn't it?"

Temari, confused by the random question from Naruto, replied, "I guess it is. What makes you say that?"

Naruto said, "You both are redder than Kiba during that one joke I did."

Temari, her interest piqued, asked, "What happened?"

Naruto laughed and said, "It was a few years ago. We were late for the academy, so we were running fast. Kiba was already there. He turned to see a few of us running toward the academy. I had the brilliant idea to trip Ino, which was a horrible idea. She tripped into Sakura, and both of them rammed headfirst into Kiba. Sakura accidentally managed to land a rather painful headbutt into the gut, but the other headbutt from Ino was below the belt."

Temari winced slightly at the thought of the incident. Naruto continued, "Yeah. He was rolling on the ground, gasping for air. At the time, I thought it was a funny joke, so I thought he was rolling on the ground, gasping for air in laughter. His face was redder than a tomato in a bowl of ramen!"

Temari laughed at the analogy. She didn't know what was going on. Normally, people wouldn't have this kind of effect on her. She smiled at Naruto gently, causing both him and Hinata to give her weird looks. She said, "You know, Naruto, you have this kind of personality about you. You've got the ability to make anyone smile and laugh, no matter who they are. You can befriend even the most hateful of people and turn them into something good. You can meet anyone and make them want to put their trust in you."

Hinata added as an afterthought, "Or make Tsunade put a bet on you."

Naruto jokingly said, "Granny would make a bet on anything."

Hinata solemnly nodded and said, "That's true."

Temari nervously coughed and continued, "But Naruto, you just have that special quality that very few people posess. I have a feeling you will go far. Gaara is trying his best to be like you. He is striving to be the next Kazekage."

Naruto said, "Well, when we achieve our dreams, hopefully the Sand village and the Leaf village will be allies."

Temari smiled and said, "I'll be sure of it."

The waitress stepped out from the back and beckoned Naruto over for his soup which abruptly cut any form of communication from him for the next three minutes as he ate his healthy helping of soup.

Hinata could only look in surprise at the soup that Naruto was having. It was almost a laughable impossibility that Naruto would eat anything but ramen, especially considering he was in a ramen stand. As she pondered it, a man with short, dark hair stepped from the kitchen. His black suit, white shirt, black tie, black pants, and brown shoes seemed to exude the aura of someone who was too perfect for reality. He looked at Hinata and said, "This is… the Twilight Zone."

Hinata squeaked and blinked, only to see that the person was no longer there. Naruto turned to Hinata, his soup nearly finished. He looked at her and said, "Hinata! Is there something wrong?"

Hinata said, "No… I just thought I heard someone say, 'This is… The Twilight Zone."

Naruto replied, "Twilight Zone? No. This is… a ramen stand!"

At that very moment Temari sweatdropped. She made a mental note to stop watching the movies in Gaara's collection… which were from a source she had no idea where it came from. Although, she had to admit, she did have a small crush on the main character of the movie. Shaking her head free of those thoughts, she waved to Naruto and said, "Well, I better get back to my team. We're on a mission right now."

Naruto waved at Temari, his bowl empty. Temari only gasped having realized that the bowl was delivered only about a minute before. She only looked at him in amazement, while Hinata gave a look of "yeah, I know...". Naruto smiled at Temari and said, "Seeya Temari! Hopefully we'll see you again someday."

Temari smiled gently and said, "You should come by and visit the Sand Village one of these days. I'm sure Gaara wouldn't mind."

Naruto said, "If the Perverted Hermit comes nearby during our training, I'll make sure of it."

Temari smiled and said, "Well, I'd best be going now."

Naruto nodded in agreement and said, "It's almost noon. I think the merchants wanted to leave around now."

Temari raised her brow and said, "Merchants?"

Hinata replied, "We are on a mission too."

Temari said, "You mean, that ship at the dock of two merchants that look like they're about ready to set sail?"

Naruto looked over at the docks in the distance. Thanking Lady Luck for having the ramen stand on a hill, he quickly threw the money for the soup on the counter, called out, "Thanks for the food!", grabbed Hinata's hand, and bolted toward the ship. Temari was calling after him, but he didn't seem to hear it, as his sole thought was to get to the ship before it left.

Temari grumbled as she realized she would have to make a trip to the Leaf Village in a few days. Naruto dropped his wallet in the ramen stand, and she felt like it was her obligation to deliver it to him. For some reason, the idea of visiting Naruto and dropping of his wallet did not seem like too much trouble to her. She wondered for a few minutes why she felt this way. Maybe the atmosphere of the village rubbed off on her. The last time she visited, she enjoyed the experience, despite being the enemy at the time. Opening the wallet to take inventory of what he had, she noticed his identification card. Yeah, the only reason she would enjoy dropping off Naruto's wallet was the atmosphere of the village. It had nothing to do with Naruto himself. Internally, she was laughing at Naruto and the qualities he had. He was just so innocent and playful, yet serious when he needed to be. She let out a sigh at the thought of Naruto and his characteristics. It was true about what she said. He was uncommon… a rare ball of laughter and energy in a world where emotion was supposed to be destroyed.

Naruto continued along the road, dragging Hinata along. Iruka called to Naruto, "You're late!"

Naruto took a big leap forward and landed in front of Iruka. Gasping for breath, he called out, "Sorry. I was hungry."

Iruka sweatdropped and said, "Were you on the ramen stand on that hill?"

Naruto nodded and asked, "Was it that predictable?"

Iruka replied, "Yes, and the dust cloud you left up there a minute ago confirmed it. They are ready to go now. If you will board with us, we'll be heading off."

Naruto got on the ship along with Hinata and watched the crew as they did their duties. Looking at the ship, at how the higher members were telling the lower crew members what to do and how to do it reminded Naruto of the ninja world. It was all the same… more experienced and more seasoned people were helping out those not as able as they were. Naruto grinned as the ship left harbor.

* * *

"DAMN!" came a cry from Naruto. They were six hours at sea, the clouds darkly covering the sky, blotting out the sun completely. There was no land in sight. Naruto gave a panicked expression as he literally took off his pants, turned out his pockets, and vigorously shook the whole thing. Iruka sweatdropped before saying, "Naruto, perhaps you should put your pants back on." 

Hinata walked into the room of the ship, saying, "Naruto? What's wr—"

At that very moment, she spotted Naruto complete in his pantsless glory. Her face turned red for a few seconds before she fell back in a nosebleed, dropping a small orange book. Naruto looked over at her, put his pants on, and picked up the book. It was one of Jiraiya's books. Naruto looked at the now recovering Hinata. He said to her, "Where did you get this book?"

Hinata replied, "I got it back in that first town. One of the Sannin, Jiraiya, gave it to me. He said it was a good read."

Naruto sighed and replied, "It is not a good read, Hinata."

Before she could reply, one on the crew members called out, "Hurricane!"

Before Naruto and Hinata could react, heavy rain and wind came out of nowhere. Lightning flew across the sky as thunder rang out in harsh tones. Waves threatened to overturn the ship, as Naruto and Hinata scurried toward the deck. As they got to the deck, Naruto looked at the menacing sky. It was there that Naruto could have swore he saw someone floating there. He stared and blinked, and the person was gone. He did not have much time to dwell on it as a voice cried out for help. One of the crew members was holding onto the rail for his life as the wind and rocking ship were trying to mercilessly take his life. Naruto ran over to the person in the very front of the ship, grabbed his arms, and threw him back onto the ship. Naruto took a small breath to catch his breath from running that fast.

However, at that very moment, a powerful wave smacked into the front of the ship, ripping off the part Naruto was on. Naruto was thrown into the sea, unable to use his chakra to gain his footing in the harsh waters. Hinata shouted piercingly, throwing herself in that direction. Naruto looked up at the ship, the waters pushing him further and further away. The last thing he saw was Hinata on the rail, trying to jump off after him while Iruka, Haku, and Lee struggled to keep her on the ship. The water eventually overcame even his consciousness as he slogged away into the depths of unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 5: A Whole New World

Author's Note: Well, guys, I'm using my time in between classes to do this story. Normally, this would be my homework time, but I decided I'm actually going to do my homework at home, so I can use this time to write my stories. Yeah, it's something I almost never do… doing homework at home… but hey, it gives me time to write the stories. So, without further ado, I give you chapter five.

Also, sorry for the long delay. I'm having a lot of school-related troubles. Such as my grades. Finals are also coming up soon. Thankfully, I got this chapter and the next one written. However, the next one needs some major edits.

Chapter 5:  
A whole new world

"Is he dead?" came the inquizitive voice of a young girl.

"It looks like he's dead," came the voice of what sounded like a young teenaged boy.

"Well, his vitals seem to be okay. Poor thing… probably got washed into that big storm we saw out at sea," came another female voice.

A small moment of silence before a loud shout came, "Hey mister! Are you dead?"

Naruto's eyes jolted open as he jumped up in surprise. He looked around himself to find himself surrounded by four people, two guys and two girls. Both guys seemed to be clothed in identical clothing, down to the colors and the symbol on them. Naruto rubbed the back of his head painfully as he muttered a few choice words under his breath. He looked at those around him, seeing a look of relief on each one of their faces. One of them, a teeaged girl with blue hair put in a ponytail stood up. Her cerulean colored eyes shone in delight at seeing Naruto awake. She said, "Man, kid, you're sure lucky to be awake right now."

Naruto, trying to fight back a killer headache, asked back, "What happened?"

Another girl, who seemed younger than the first one, replied to Naruto, "There was a really big storm out at sea earlier as we were flying over here. We got here to the island after it was over, flying over this very beach. We saw you lying here on the beach, fearing the worst for you. We stopped and started to look you over. That was when you woke up."

Naruto replied, "Looking me over? I could have sworn one of you shouted in my ear."

The girl coughed slightly and remained silent. Naruto took th emoment of silence to look over the ones there. There was already the blue haired girl. The other girl had black hair tucked into a bladed helmet, although locks of it fell out in places. She was carelessly wearing an outfit that Naruto swore in his mind was too revealing considering who she was. She didn't look that much older than Naruto was.

He proceeded to look at the other two. Both boys were wearing the same red outfit, with the same symbol inscribed inside a yellow circle. One of the boys was bald, with dots on his forehead. He was slightly shorter than the other boy. However, it was the other boy standing there who caught Naruto's interest. His long black hair stood up in unruly spikes. He carried what appeared to be a staff on his back. For some odd reason, he seemed to have a tail that resembled a monkey wrapped around his waist. However, there was this aura around him that Naruto could not quite put his finger on. It was a feeling of power and yet of generousity. Naruto looked at him curiously, unable to figure out what it was about this boy that caught his interest.

That very boy that piqued Naruto's interest looked at him and said, "So, mister, why are you here?"

Naruto looked at him and replied, "I was on a ship at sea when I was thrown into the water. That was the last thing I remembered."

The boy replied, "So, you're not here for the martial arts tournament?"

Naruto replied, "The what?"

The other boy replied, "It's where powerful fighters from all over come together every three years and fight to find out who is the best out of all of them."

Naruto looked around, realizing for the first time that he didn't know where he was. He looked at the blue-haired girl and asked, "Where am I?"

The girl replied, "You're on the Martial Arts Island. That's where the tournament is held every three years, just like baldy here said."

The boy looked at the girl and said, "Oh, gee, thanks a lot for your wonderful nickname."

The girl laughed and jokingly replied, "No problem!"

Naruto looked at them and said, "So, which one of you are going to be in this tournament?"

The blue haired girl said, "All of these adorable kids are going to participate."

Naruto said, "What does the winner of the tournament get if they win?"

The black haired girl said, "A lot of money! That's all I was told!"

Naruto thought it over for a second. It appeared he was on an island away from home. If he won this tournament, it would be sure to be enough money to hopefully buy a ticket back home. After a few moments, he looked at the sky and remarked, "I think I'm going to join as well."

All four of them looked at him incredulously and said in a shocked voice, "Whaaaat?"

Naruto looked at them and said, "I'm joining. I'm sure I'll be able to hold my own. Who knows. I might be able to win the tournament."

The black haired boy laughed and said, "That's if you can beat me, mister!"

Naruto said, "Well then, let's hope for a good match between us."

The boy laughed and said, "That will be so much fun! I can't wait."

Naruto laughed at the boy's response. He was so carefree and enthusiastic about trying to be the best. For a split second, Lee popped into his mind. The memory of his former teammate caused him a moment of discomfort as he realized how worried his friends must be at home. The blue haired girl seemed to notice Naruto's discomfort, but didn't say anything about it. She simply said, "Well, we better get moving if we want to beat the crowd for registration."

Naruto nodded and tagged along with the group as they walked up the beach. Halfway up, Naruto and the black haired boy had a race, which ended in what seemed to be a tie. Both looked at each other and started to laugh, as the others rushed to catch up to them. Why they were laughing seemed to mystify the other three there. However, their laughter was contagious and soon all five were laughing for no reason in particular. All five were in good mood when they reached the stadium about fifteen minutes later. Both the boy and Naruto complained about being hungry as they got there, causing the other three to roll their eyes in annoyance.

It was another fifteen minutes before they were registered, most of the time being spent trying to find out what half of the questions meant on the entry form. The tournament's preliminary matches were to start in about six hours, so Naruto and the group decided to head toward a nearby restaurant. Along the way, Naruto realized that he had never asked their names. As they walked, Naruto casually asked aloud, "You know… I never got your names."

The other four sweatdropped as the realization hit them that they didn't know their new friend's name either. The blue haired looked at Naruto and said, "The other girl's name is Chi Chi."

Naruto looked at Chi Chi and bowed before saying, "It's nice to meet you."

Chichi looked back at Naruto and replied, "Likewise."

The girl motioned to the bald boy and noted, "His name's Krillin, but we like to call him Baldy."

Krillin defensively replied, "You mean, you like to call me Baldy."

Naruto could only laugh as he watched the exchange between the two. He looked at her and said, "Um, what's your name?"

The girl looked a bit confused before realizing she never introduced herself. She said, "Oh, dear. I'm sorry about that. My name is Bulma."

The other boy with spiked hair piped up, "And I'm Goku!"

Naruto nodded and politely bowed to them. He said in a friendly tone, "It is nice to meet you. My name is Naruto."

Bulma looked curiously at Naruto and said, "What's that thing you're wearing on your forehead?"

Naruto pointed to it and replied, "It's a forehead protector! It identifies what village I am from. I'm from Konoha, which is the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Bulma smiled and said, "It's really cool looking. Makes me wish I had one."

Naruto smiled and said, "You have to train long and hard to be good enough to get one."

Bulma only nodded and said, "I bet it is a lot of work."

The conversation would have continued but both Goku and Naruto stopped dead in their tracks. Twin looks of delight were plastered over both of their faces. Bulma could only stare in horror as they both took off at inhuman speeds toward the nearest restaurant. As they ran as fast as they could to catch up, they realized with some sympathy that they had ran straight into a buffet. As they got inside, both of the boys were looking over the restaurant in absolute glee. The lady at the cash register looked a bit uneasily at the two boys who seemed to be doing everything in their power from jumping into the restaurant or salivating all over the counter. Bulma could only laugh at both of the boys hunger.

Naruto looked around and reached into his pocket to find… nothing. He cried out in desperation as he said, "I forgot! I left my wallet before I got on that ship back at that ramen stand!"

Bulma looked at him and said, "No sweat. I'll pay for your meal."

Naruto looked at Bulma like she was a goddess. He jumped up and said to her, "You will?"

She smiled and said, "Of course."

Naruto hugged her closely all the while saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…"

Bulma was surprised by the sudden action taken by Naruto. It was a weird feeling that stirred within her… something she could not seem to put her finger on. She laughed and said, "Okay, if you can let go, we can go eat."

After paying for the bill and being seated, Bulma's sympathy for the restaurant's owner simply increased as Naruto and Goku came back with a plate that was stuffed and heaped as far as it can go. As soon as they both came back, they left again and got themselves both bowls of ramen as a side dish. Krillin only looked on in dismay as he asked, "Will you two have room for dessert?"

Both of them looked at each other and burst out laughing. Goku said, "Of course we will!"

Naruto chimed in, "Yeah, this is only an appetizer!"

Krillin looked over at ChiChi, and was a bit relieved to see that he was not the only stunned person there. Bulma also looked at them both in disbelief, unable to believe what she had just heard. Two hours, twelve bowls of ramen, and a ten course meal later for them both, they left the restaurant. Bulma could only feel sorry for the manager and the owner as they both desperately surveyed the damage that would sink the restaurant into a financial depression for the next three years.

They spend the next four hours just walking around the town, before they headed to the stadium to enter the tournament. Goku, Naruto, Chichi, and Krillin all entered the doors, while Bulma wished them luck. Only participants were allowed inside during the preliminary rounds. Naruto could only shudder in anticipation at the participants there. Some were full-grown adults who had muscles in sizes that he had never seen before. The participants were called to a wall nearby to check what bracked they would be fighting in. Naruto looked in relief as he saw none of his friends were in the same bracket as each other or himself.

After a few minutes of waiting, Naruto's turn to fight was called up. His opponent was an especially muscular person. Naruto could barely hold back his anticipation as he realized that this guy looked like he could probably kill Naruto with just one hit. The referee called out the signal to start the round and the guy walked toward Naruto throwing a punch. Out of instinct, Naruto held out his hand and, much to his surprise, caught the punch with ease. It appeared his opponent was just as surprised as he was, as he was rendered speechless. Naruto then kicked the guy, sending him flying out of the ring. He could only sweatdrop as he realized that he may have overdone his kick.

The preliminary rounds passed until there were only eight people left. Naruto looked around to see that Goku, Chichi, and Krillin had made it as well. Another person was with them as well… a boy that looked slightly older than the others. He was conversing with Goku as if he knew Goku from somewhere before. He had long, dark hair, and was wearing an outfit that Naruto had a hard time to describe. Also there was a guy with grey hair. Naruto had seen this guy fight during his break and realized that this guy was no pushover. Two more contestants were there that Naruto immediately got a bad feeling from.

One was a guy who looked to be in his late teens. He had long black hair that ended roughly about his thighs. His body was pretty toned but not overly muscled. His brown clothing seemed to be an armor of some kind, and he had a tail wrapped around his waist, a tail which was oddly similar in appearance to Goku's. He was wearing a strange device over his eye, which connected to his head by an ear. It appeared to be a rather strange device. It was displaying lights and other odd symbols as he examined everyone in the room through it.

The other was a girl with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. She seemed roughly the same age as the other one. Her black t-shirt clung to her curves, accentuating her rather well-endowed bust. Her dark orange, knee-length skirt had extra long side splits that ran nearly up to the waist. Naruto had to suppress the wonder as he saw she was wearing sapphire colored high heels. Naruto figured either she was cheating her way through or that she didn't see the need to take the high heels off. From her elbow to her wrists, she appeared to be wearing blue leather arm guards, which matched the color of her shoes.

An elderly man, holding a box, walked over to the group and said, "Each one of you shall now draw numbers to see who fights against whom in the tournament."

Each one of the contestants walked forward, taking a number from the box, and showed it to the guy at the whiteboard. He took their number and their name and wrote it down on the board. Naruto looked at the matchups and saw that his match was going to be quite the hard one. The first fight featured that dangerous looking blonde girl whose name was Rykua against the elderly man whose name was Jackie Chun. The third match of the quarter-finals was Goku against ChiChi. Naruto could only laugh slightly at that, wondering if Goku had the heart to even hurt the poor girl. The final match featured Krillin against the guy that was talking to the group earlier, Yamcha.

At the moment, the only match that Naruto had to worry about was the second of the tournament. It was the one he was in. He had a very bad feeling about how it was going to end up. Just the way the person held himself and how his attitude toward others seemed was enough to put some fear into Naruto. He looked one last time at the pairing on the tournament board.

Naruto vs. Raditz…

A/N: Yeah, I couldn't figure out the best of pairings, and I ended up putting Naruto against Raditz by accident… but it was the only real way to get the tournament to go the way I wanted it to go. So yeah, I apologize for that. On the bright side, I guess you can anticipate one hell of a match. Also, if I misspell anything more than once, please leave so in a review. I'm pretty much a grammar freak IRL, and I constantly try to make sure my grammar's the best I can make it. Helps when you proofread other people's essays.


	7. Chapter 6: First Match

Author's Note: Just as a heads up, in case anyone was wondering. Yes, Rykua is the original character that I created for the novels, and the character whose penname I am named after. This is an AU version of that character, which is why she is not as powerful as she is in the story. So for any of you who know this character, expect her to be severely watered down for the purpose of the story. Also, there will be appearances by my other original characters, as I stated earlier.

Sorry for the delay, but I really didn't have much inspiration to work on this lately. It's coming back though, so updates will be a little bit more frequent. As for the pairings in this fic, I haven't decided on anything absolute yet. I still got time, though.

But, without further ado, here comes the match!

Chapter 6:

First Match

As the eight remaining participants left the building, the crowd cheered loudly. The preliminaries were finally over, and the tournament was about to commence. The announcer called out that the first four matches were to start at noon the next day, each of them in order. The group looked over in the crowd to spot a familiar, blue-haired teenage girl waving frantically to them. She looked with anticipation and asked, "So, how did you guys do?"

Naruto hung his head and said, "It's sad, really."

Bulma gave a depressed look and said, "What happened?"

Naruto looked at Bulma and cracked a smile before saying, "I've got these three tough opponents to go against in the finals."

Bulma, slightly confused, asked, "So that means…"

Goku smiled and finished for her, "All three of us are in! Ain't that the greatest?"

It took a second for it to register before Bulma smacked Naruto across the face while saying in extreme anger, "You idiot!"

Naruto staggered for a second, surprised at the strength put into that smack. He looked at Bulma and said, "You know, with that kind of strength, you should enter the tournament!"

Bulma crossed her arms and said in an almost insulted voice, "Beauty and brains such as myself don't need to be fighting in tournaments like this."

Krillin gave a sly smile and asked, "You mean you 'do not need' to be fighting?"

Bulma rounded on Krillin and said, "Baldy, I give you one minute to take that back."

Krillin gave a fake look of terror and said in a mocking voice, "Oh no! I'm so scared…"

... in exactly sixty seconds, Krillin was taking it back under pressure of Bulma's temper. Naruto looked at the group and said, "So, how do you all know each other?"

Bulma laughed and said, "That's easy! I was on a quest a few months ago when I met Goku here. We saved ChiChi's house from burning down by finding a martial arts master who extinguished the blaze."

Goku laughed and said, "That's when ChiChi asked me if I wanted marriage."

Bulma giggled slightly and said, "You nearly accepted! You thought it was food!"

Naruto asked, "Wait… so, did you accept?"

Goku said, "Nah. I nearly did though… thought it was food."

Bulma smiled and said, "How about your... date?"

Naruto laughed a little bit. Goku didn't seem to be the type of person to be dating girls.

ChiChi looked around before blushing. She said, "All I said was that dates were the most fun a guy and a girl could do together. All of a sudden, I see Goku attacking me. Our... date... consisted of us sparring. I loved every moment of it, too!"

Naruto could only sweatdrop at that statement. He looked at Krillin and said, "So, how did you meet Krillin here?"

Goku said, "After Bulma's little quest, I met up with that martial arts master and asked him to train me. Krillin was a student as well and together we studied and trained under the harshest of conditions."

Naruto nodded and said, "Well, that does sound like fun, aside from the harsh conditions."

Goku enthusiastically replied, "It was! I learned so much and grew so much stronger!"

As the group continued their conversation, they arrived at the hotel they were staying at. It was past sundown, so the group headed straight for their rooms. Along the way, as Naruto followed them, he realized something that put him in quite a predicament. He stopped in the middle of the hallway as soon as it hit him.

Bulma turned around quickly and asked, "What's wrong?"

Naruto sighed and replied, "I don't have any money or any clothes at all. I don't have a room to stay in either."

ChiChi looked at him for a second and said, "Well then, tonight, we're going shopping!"

Naruto exclaimed in reply, "I don't have money!"

Bulma winked at Naruto and replied, "I got that covered."

Naruto hesitated for a second and said, "What about a room to stay?"

Bulma said, "I can get you a room."

Naruto sweatdropped and replied, "I really don't want to trouble you with that."

Bulma said, "In that case, you could stay in the room with the other guys tonight."

Krillin and Goku both laughed and said, "We'll have a contest tonight!"

Bulma looked at Naruto and said, "You have thirty minutes to get acquainted with the room, then go back to the lobby. We're on a mission and that is to get you some new stuff!"

Naruto nodded and said, "Okay, a shopping trip sounds like a good idea." Oh, how he would regret those words later on.

Bulma said, "Thirty minutes, kid. That's eight o'clock."

Thirty minutes and a "quick" meal later, Naruto got into the lobby and sat down in a chair, waiting for the other two girls. It took another three minutes before they both showed up in the lobby. With a glint in their eyes that made Naruto sweatdrop, particularly in Bulma's eyes, Naruto walked along with them.

It was midnight when the door to the room burst open, startling Goku and Krillin from their game of Go Fish. Krillin was about at the end of his patience, having spent the last thirty minutes explaining the rules to Goku in any way he possibly could. Naruto looked like he had just escaped hell's grasp. Both rushed up to him and quickly supported him. His eyes were unfocused and he seemed unable to stand that well. Krillin said to Goku, "Quick, get him some water!"

Naruto snapped back into reality at that and said, "Make it hot for the instant ramen!"

Both Krillin and Goku looked at Naruto after his comment. Krillin asked, "What happened?"

Naruto, with a pained expression on his face, replied, "Too many clothes, a lot of item carrying, and a lot of the changing rooms."

Krillin looked at Naruto for a second before he burst out laughing. He remarked, "So, that's what you had been doing these past four hours?"

Goku looked and said, "Where's your clothes?"

Naruto replied, "Yes… they're in the other room with the girls. Bulma said she'd be over here tomorrow morning to drop off the clothes she wanted me to wear to the fight tomorrow."

Krillin tentatively asked, "So, what tired you out?"

Naruto said, "Bags of clothes. A lot of them."

Krillin said, "How many? Three? Four?"

Naruto shook his head and replied, "Eight… and that was just for the tops."

Krillin fell over anime style before asking, "How many for the pants?"

Naruto shuddered and said, "An extra three."

Krillin stopped for a second and incredulously asked, "So, you carried them all?"

Naruto nodded in reply. He simply said, "They were really interested in my abilities and being able to carry them."

Not much was said between the boys as they all agreed that it was time to get some sleep. The next morning, Bulma came as promised, banging on the door so loudly, Naruto swore she would've woke up the whole hotel if she had continued her racket. The morning passed without much event and in a few hours, they had reached the stadium. Bulma wished the group good luck as she went to find a good place in the audience to sit.

Naruto walked to the back, along with Goku and Krillin. As they entered the area behind the arena, it was nearing noon. Neither Jackie nor Rykua seemed particularly thrilled about fighting each other. Goku walked up to Jackie and said, "Hey mister! I saw you fight yesterday. You're really good!"

Jackie looked back and laughed before saying, "Why, thank you!"

Goku asked, "So, how ya feelin' about this fight coming up?"

Jackie merely replied, "I don't think it's going to last long. She doesn't seem that focused for some reason. At least she got rid of the high heels for sandals."

Naruto happened to be the unlucky one to approach the girl. He looked at her and brightly said, "Hey there!"

Rykua looked indifferently at Naruto and said, "What do you want?"

Naruto, a bit shocked at the response, replied, "I just wanted to say hi and to wish you luck."

She looked at Naruto for a second, shrugged, and said, "Thanks… I guess. I really don't need it. It'll be over soon. You can't possibly expect me to believe that someone as old as him could keep up with me. I don't really want to hurt him… that badly."

Naruto paused for a second and said, "Well, just be careful either way."

The girl looked at Naruto piercingly and said, "Worry about your own match. I think you're going to have a hell of a time fighting that guy."

Naruto shrugged and said, "I'll win. I need to if I want to get home."

Rykua glared piercingly at Naruto and said, "All you optimists think alike. Whatever. I need to get ready for my match. Go bug the other person if you want to be useful."

Naruto, unable to think of anything else to say, started to walk over to Jackie. He was interrupted by an announcer calling out to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen. This is the moment you all have been waiting for. It is the twenty-third martial arts tournament! Give your cheers for the eight finalists as they demonstrate their fighting prowess today."

A great cheer arose from the crowd as the announcer continued with his introduction.

"Today's group of warriors feature all people new to the tournament. So, for all of you who have watched the previous tournaments, don't expect to see a familiar face today. Without further ado, I introduce our first two contestants. The first is a seasoned old warrior who proves that even in older ages, you can still be a worthy contender. The second is a female warrior who places her brawn above her stunning beauty. Come to the ring, Rykua and Jackie."

The two named warriors walked out to the arena. It was a simple square, about 75 feet on each edge, and about five feet off the ground. It was made of solid concrete. Surrounded on three sides was a moat of grass about fifteen feet long, which separated the arena from the audience. The stands that the audience sat on were elevated stands, with the lowest one about ten feet off the ground. The fourth side of the arena connected to a brick wall with an arch in the middle. On the other side, the other contestants stood, in front of a small building.

Both contestants walked on opposite sides of the arena and looked each other square in the eyes, neither one of them really taking the other seriously. The announcer called out, "If both of you are ready, you may begin."

Both looked at the announcer and gave a slight nod before looking at each other. Jackie said, "You're too unfocused in this battle. I won't take you seriously if you don't focus."

Rykua merely replied, "I don't need to take the likes of you seriously."

Jackie laughed and said, "You will soon enough."

Rykua, impatience crossing her face, said, "Ready yourself. Here I come. Don't complain if I injure you too gravely."

Jackie simply replied, "Don't hold back."

Rykua dashed forward at a pace that caused everyone watching, including the other contestants, to gasp in shock. She threw a punch at Jackie, fully expecting to hit him. Instead, all she received was a quick pain in the gut as in blinding speed, he managed to duck the punch and quickly elbow her in the gut. She staggered backward for a second, regarding Jackie in a new light. She said, "Ah, so you can fight. No need for me to go easy on you then."

Jackie replied, "That's what I said the first time."

This comment seemed to have struck a nerve with her as she disappeared into the air. Naruto gasped as he realized he lost track of her. Looking to the others, they all seemed as lost as he was, with the exception of Raditz, who seemed to be looking up into the sky. Naruto looked up and thought he saw a black speck before it disappeared. He looked at Raditz again, who was looking at Jackie. Rykua had somehow appeared in the air behind Jackie, floating there. She punched at him, only to react in surprise as it went through him as if it was merely an illusion. As soon as the punch connected, Jackie faded from view. She looked around for him, before spotting him on the other side of the arena.

She held out her hand, which started to glow. As she did that, he started running toward her. A blast of light emanated from her hand, which shocked Naruto, ChiChi, and Yamcha alike. None of them had seen anything like that before, but one thing was for certain. Whatever it was, it sure did not look friendly. Jackie ran at the ball of light before hopping into the air, the ball harmlessly flying under him. It flew to the wall under some of the spectators, exploding in a blast of energy that shook the ground. Rykua had a look of shock on her face at the nimble maneuver of the old man. Before she could recover from her shock, Jackie jumped off the edge of the ring with blinding speed at her. He drilled himself in a kick right into her gut before using her as a somewhat of a board to leap backward onto the edge of the ring. Before recovering from the shock, Rykua hit the ground with a dull thud, causing everyone in the audience to gasp with shock.

That match, despite having been full of action, barely lasted more than a minute. A minute of a fast-paced match with the likes that very few had ever seen before. Raditz seemed to be chuckling to himself while Naruto swore he could have muttered to himself "Amateur" in a harsh fashion.

A few moments of silence passed before Rykua stood up, clearly upset at Jackie for seizing the victory so easily. The announcer finally managed to recall his voice before calling out, "And this match goes to Jackie Chun."

Jackie bowed for a second, before cackling and giving the peace sign to the audience. "_Reminds me of Jiraiya,_" Naruto thought to himself. All he needed was just the perverted streak and Naruto knew that he could be just be Jiraiya in disguise. He smiled as Jackie walked back in, while Goku was being positively joyous at the match's outcome. Naruto's joy was short-lived, however, as the announcer said, "Well, ladies and gentlemen! I now announce the second fight of the day."

Naruto felt his heart pounding at the announcements.

"In one side is a newcomer filled with potential. A contestant who fought in the preliminaries without being touched once or even moving from his spot. His strength is as great as his range of techniques. Here comes Raditz!"

Naruto started shaking in fear at the announcer's intro. He watched as Raditz started walking toward the ring. It seems like he ditched the brown, armor-looking outfit for a skin-tight black body suit for the top and tight black shorts that went down to his knees for the bottom. His tail flicked about freely, sticking out of the spiked hair that was going down to his waist. Every part of Raditz showed power, and Naruto knew that this would probably be one of the toughest fights that he ever had in his life so far.

"On the other side is another newcomer brimming with potential. A contestant who fought with spirit and with determination. His will to fight is great enough to push him to new boundaries. Here comes Naruto!"

Naruto thought to himself for a second. Well, his will to fight helped him out? He thought about it for a few seconds, realizing that as long as he tried his best and had fun, it wouldn't matter too much. He had to win, but there was no shame in losing if he tried his hardest.

"Contestants, are you ready to fight?" called the announcer.

Both Naruto and Raditz looked at him and nodded. The announcer in response shouted, "Then let the match begin!"


End file.
